Another one gone, SKF Bearing In Avon, Ohio

DDoug · Aug 3, 2022

PUBLIC AUCTION OF SKF USA, INC. - heavy equipment - by owner -...

Webcast Auction of Large Bearing Manufacturer Including Late Model Phoenix and Youji CNC VTC's, Phoenix Gear Gasher, 100" Fellows Gear Shaper, Induction Ring Heaters, 74,000 Lb. Aronson Positioner,...

cleveland.craigslist.org

Is this the Avon bearing company that made the large rotek bearings for excavators & cranes ?

neilho · Aug 3, 2022

Hmmm. It would be. And wind turbines. Used to be called Kaydon back in the day, now Kaydon SKF, website still up and appearing to be functional. Maybe they're downsizing or moving?

vincent eggleton · Aug 3, 2022

From what I can see by the size It looks like only the bigger bearings.

I hate to see the large bearings go over seas. I would think they would be used for turrets on ships/tanks or heavy equipment something else China should not have a Monopoly on.

The date on manufacture on some of the machines are 2007 so I hope they are lightening the load to bring in newer or better equipment.

Freedommachine · Aug 6, 2022

DDoug said:
**PUBLIC AUCTION OF SKF USA, INC.** - heavy equipment - by owner -...

Webcast Auction of Large Bearing Manufacturer Including Late Model Phoenix and Youji CNC VTC's, Phoenix Gear Gasher, 100" Fellows Gear Shaper, Induction Ring Heaters, 74,000 Lb. Aronson Positioner,...

cleveland.craigslist.org

Is this the Avon bearing company that made the large rotek bearings for excavators & cranes ?

I thought rotek made those in-house at the Streetsboro plant.

Mark Rand · Aug 6, 2022

vincent eggleton said:
I hate to see the large bearings go over seas.

I take it that you aren't aware that SKF is Svenska Kullagerfabriken. That's "Swedish ball bearing factory"...

DDoug · Aug 6, 2022

Mark Rand said:
I take it that you aren't aware that SKF is Svenska Kullagerfabriken. That's "Swedish ball bearing factory"...

SKF bought out the bearing maker (name escapes me) that they are now selling off.

standardparts · Aug 6, 2022

"We are deeply appreciative of our employees in Avon and North Charleston and we are committed to fully supporting them as they transition to roles outside SKF." from a 2020 announcement it may be the Avon facility is already closed.

SKF to Consolidate Ohio, South Carolina Factories and Invest in 2 Others

The Sweden-based Bearings maker is investing $61.5 million between factories in South Carolina and Mexico, enabling the consolidation.

www.inddist.com

Avon_bear · Aug 10, 2022

DDoug said:
**PUBLIC AUCTION OF SKF USA, INC.** - heavy equipment - by owner -...

Webcast Auction of Large Bearing Manufacturer Including Late Model Phoenix and Youji CNC VTC's, Phoenix Gear Gasher, 100" Fellows Gear Shaper, Induction Ring Heaters, 74,000 Lb. Aronson Positioner,...

cleveland.craigslist.org

Is this the Avon bearing company that made the large rotek bearings for excavators & cranes ?

I was employed at this facility for nearly 10 years. SKF purchased Kaydon in 2013.
Kaydon purchased Avon Bearings in late 2007 for $55M. This is the same Avon Bearings plant that specialized in large bearings for cranes and excavators. SKF decided to make a large investment in a facility in Sumter, South Carolina. This brilliant decision resulted in the closure of the Avon plant. Word on the street is that Sumter continues to struggle making bearings that were made successfully in Avon for years.

DDoug · Aug 10, 2022

standardparts said:
"We are deeply appreciative of our employees in Avon and North Charleston and we are committed to fully supporting them as they transition to roles outside SKF." from a 2020 announcement it may be the Avon facility is already closed.

SKF to Consolidate Ohio, South Carolina Factories and Invest in 2 Others

The Sweden-based Bearings maker is investing $61.5 million between factories in South Carolina and Mexico, enabling the consolidation.

www.inddist.com

Meaning "Don't come down here, we don't want you"
Was this union busting ?

Avon_bear · Aug 10, 2022

Avon was non-union. Most likely a cost cutting move. Cheaper and less skilled labor in Sumter

standardparts · Aug 10, 2022

Avon_bear said:
Avon was non-union. Most likely a cost cutting move. Cheaper and less skilled labor in Sumter

....and Mexico.

scsmith42 · Aug 10, 2022

Both craigslist listings have been deleted

Freedommachine · Aug 10, 2022

Avon_bear said:
I was employed at this facility for nearly 10 years. SKF purchased Kaydon in 2013.
Kaydon purchased Avon Bearings in late 2007 for $55M. This is the same Avon Bearings plant that specialized in large bearings for cranes and excavators. SKF decided to make a large investment in a facility in Sumter, South Carolina. This brilliant decision resulted in the closure of the Avon plant. Word on the street is that Sumter continues to struggle making bearings that were made successfully in Avon for years.

Lockheed Martin did the same thing in 2015. They made a large investment in their Oswego NY facility and shut down operations in Akron. They didn't sell anything off though. They packed up all of the shiney new Mazaks and shipped them to the new facility.

Meggit aircraft braking systems followed shortly after by sending their DoD work to Kentucky and the commercial work to Mexico.

They were the last two companies representing the legacy of Goodyear Aerospace.

Edit: Both shops were union. UAW local 856

standardparts · Aug 11, 2022

scsmith42 said:
Both craigslist listings have been deleted

Avon Ohio auction ended 8-9-2022)

Now it looks like it's on to Mexico.....

SKF - TIMED, ONLINE ONLY - Myron Bowling Auctioneers

SKF A Leading Company in the Manufacture of Gears & Large Dia. Bearings SKF BIDDING CLOSES: WEDNESday, SEPTEMBER 7th AT 11AM CT TIMED, ONLINE ONLY NO ON-SITE BIDDING M

www.myronbowling.com

EmanuelGoldstein · Aug 11, 2022

standardparts said:
Avon Ohio auction ended 8-9-2022)

Now it looks like it's on to Mexico.....

They already tried some years ago, nothing sold. Basically, Kaydon effed up. There was never the market for these things that they thought, and these machines were the third-rate crap they bought for Mexico. Youji, bleugh. And those phoenix things, double-bleugh*. Not sure how some ended up in Ohio. It was all slewing bearings for wind energy, which has kinda collapsed in the US. The gashers are not suitable for low-production parts, Doug. Cutters run eight to ten thousand and only good for one design.

A friend was a Kaydon plant manager in, I think, Charlotte ? He quit right after they pissed away many millions moving across the road in Sumter, for no reason except some fool's wet dream in management. And yeah, he had some stories about Sumter. Pretty funny how stupid people can be when they try.

It wasn't a case of being out-competed by anyone overseas, Kaydon went bad, like most US corporations after Milton took control of the country, and fell apart.

Maybe you guys should be more concerned about incompetent US management than the inscrutable competition overseas ....

* Place I know doing the same thing in Minhang bought G&L and Liebherr for the same job. Who buys quality ?

Freedommachine · Aug 11, 2022

EmanuelGoldstein said:
Youji, bleugh. And those phoenix things, double-bleugh*. Not sure how some ended up in Ohio.

The shop I work for has 4 Phoenix VBM's. 2 were built on the iron from our old Gray machines. We've also got G&L, Mitsi, Pama and Ingersoll VBM's and HBM's.

The Ingersoll VBM is massive. The columns are something like 60 feet tall.

EmanuelGoldstein · Aug 11, 2022

Freedommachine said:
The shop I work for has 4 Phoenix VBM's. 2 were built on the iron from our old Gray machines.

Didn't they start out in Arizona rebuilding stuff ? Or, more like using the old bases and castings to make new machines out of old castings ?

But their gashers are awful. Or maybe not awful but well below the level of the competition. Cheap trash, pretty much. Even the Yichang ones are better.

Freedommachine said:
The Ingersoll VBM is massive. The columns are something like 60 feet tall.

Ingersoll has always been impressive

But have to love G&L as well, for VTL's. Definitely a class act.

TeachMePlease · Aug 17, 2022

standardparts said:
"We are deeply appreciative of our employees in Avon and North Charleston and we are committed to fully supporting them as they transition to roles outside SKF."

That has to be the most HR way of saying "After we fired them" I've ever heard...

Another one gone, SKF Bearing In Avon, Ohio

Diamond

Titanium

Aluminum

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Plastic

Diamond

Plastic

Diamond

Aluminum

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

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